We've had a weekend without an exhilarating and perhaps even unexpected victory.

We've also had a weekend where we were forced to watch what the other teams in the league were doing, thus allowing us to observe our competition a little more closely without the distraction of being focused solely on the home team. Are the Titans really a better team with VY? Are the Jaguars a team on the rise?

At 5-4 the Texans could still go either way to finish the final stretch of the season.

I am genuinely optimistic, even in light of this game coming up with all of the back story to boot. In the past I would dread this game, not this year. The attitude change on the field has triggered an attitude change in the dialogue and perception of the Texans. As I said to my wife, these will not be "the same old Texans" for many years to come.

Duck the Fitans . If I want the Texans to go in there and kick the crap out of the Budsters , then as a fan I have to say that I expect the Texans are going to kick the crap out of the Titans . I expect the Texans to knock Johnson out of the game and return two interceptions back for TDs . I expect Slaton to have a breakout game and I expect the Texans to go 6-1 the rest of the year .

Watching the Colts & Patriots play last night, I feel much better about this team.

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I dunno bout that. Watching Brady shred the Colts defense the first 3 quarters made me feel like the Texans were not that good at all, comparatively speaking. A defensive letdown in the 4th along with Belichick's dumb decision making let the Colts off the hook.

Have a good feeling about playing well against the Colts. The Patriots, hmm..not so much. And we play them in the final game of the season. If our playoff hopes rest on that last game . . . well, here's hoping we make the playoffs before that game, because I don't see us winning that one.

Everybody I know (who are actually NFL fans) is optimistic about the team right now. The only people who are down on them are the persistent Eeyeores of society and they will find something to complain about no matter what is happening (ya just gotta tune them out).

I'm generally a pessimist, so take that into accout. I'm less optimistic, mainly because I'm more worried about some of the teams we are facing, and need to beat:

The Titans seem to have woken up. This is the team that performed so well last year, and if they're returning to form, they will be tough to beat.

Jacksonville won again. We will likely be facing them in a must-win game for both of us, meaning they will be playing hard (and they've already shown they can beat us). Overall, it's probably best for us that the Jets lost, but it makes me worry more about Jacksonville than I had been.

New England's losing means it's more likely they wll be playing all-out in the final game of the season, against us.

Plus, the list of teams we're competing with for a wildcard: Broncos, Chargers, Steelers, Jags, Ravens (either Denver or San Diego will be a division champ) seems like an awfully tough group. It is becoming harder for me to see how we beat out most of them for a slot.

I'm almost the same given the bye week. I have a different feeling about this team as many here have said. They are not yet elite to state the obvious, but they have a good young team with some balance unlike teams of the past. I see a better team next year but that's another thread.

One concern is getting the defense back in the groove after the bye. Defenses tend to miss a step after even a small layoff such as a bye and I only hope this is not an issue.

Having said that 2009 history tells me nothing in that Houston had Arizona after their bye and we were down 21-0 at the half. A couple of weeks later and the Texans get SF after their bye and Houston had a 21-0 lead at the half. As we all know the following halves were much different. Just sorting this thing out in my mind, carry on.

I dunno bout that. Watching Brady shred the Colts defense the first 3 quarters made me feel like the Texans were not that good at all, comparatively speaking. A defensive letdown in the 4th along with Belichick's dumb decision making let the Colts off the hook.

Have a good feeling about playing well against the Colts. The Patriots, hmm..not so much. And we play them in the final game of the season. If our playoff hopes rest on that last game . . . well, here's hoping we make the playoffs before that game, because I don't see us winning that one.

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Offensively, they make plays, just like we do.

Defensively, they make mistakes...... they're just as vulnerable as we are. IMHO.

I'm probably more optimistic about the team in general and the possibility of finally having a winning record, but maybe a little more pessimistic about our chances of actually making the playoffs. SD won. Ravens won, Jags won. The competition is tough, and Pittsburgh probably has one spot, and we will probably be competing against the aforementioned plus Denver for that last spot. That's 4 good teams going home, and one making it. The odds are stacked against us. We really need to find a way to go 6-1 the rest of the way to have a likely chance, and a 5-2 for a decent chance.

I feel good about the Texans in that they are an 'any given Sunday' type of team that is capable of playing up to any team in the league. It seems that their own worst enemy, though, is themselves. So I am hopefully pragmatic that they can stop consistently shooting themselves in the foot to give away games.

Depending on the outcome of Monday's game, the above outlook is subject to change.

Everybody I know (who are actually NFL fans) is optimistic about the team right now. The only people who are down on them are the persistent Eeyeores of society and they will find something to complain about no matter what is happening (ya just gotta tune them out).

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I am optimistic for this game, because it is on Monday night and I think Reliant will be rocking for Monday night football. We will be playing our rivals and I think Cushing will be all over the place and will give VY some big problems and I think Mario has a big game as well where he pressures VY all night. I'm anxious to see how Smith does at DT and Barwin does as well finally starting.

However, I disagree with your assessment that anyone who would be pessimistic right now are the constant whiners that will find someone to complain about. The Texans have been improving, but they still have had some inconsistencies that are worth worrying about and present, so I could see why some people are not feeling to confident about this game or the rest of the season. Plus, VY has had some big moments in Reliant and is getting some of his confidence back as a QB and will really be itching to have a big game here with a lot of his local fans. I can see why some people might not be as optimistic as you or I might be right now. With the way the Texans have constantly shot themselves in the foot all year at times, it's hard for a lot of people to forget about some of the struggles and the "so close, but yet so far" instances we seem to have. Any way, GO TEXANS!!

Remember, the Broncos and Chargers are competing for the AFC West, so one of them is definitely going to the playoffs with a home game in the wildcard round (and perhaps the divisional round, if they win out and Cincinnati loses a game). The two play their second game on Monday night, and it looks like two teams headed in the opposite direction. Denver's got a problem at QB, and I think their offense has been figured out. If they have to sit Orton for an extended period of time, look out. They might skid. And that means the Chargers win the division, and hence are out of the picture. Regardless, one of them is going to take a loss this coming week.

The Jags are a team with problems. I can see them faltering. But not this week... Buffalo just fired Jauron, and they're a team with some pretty fundamental issues. Jags roll this week.

The Ravens have to play the Steelers twice before the season is done, which is good news no matter how you cut it for Texans fans. If the Steelers sweep the Ravens (and I hope they don't), then the Ravens are effectively out of the running. I could never see three teams from the same division making the postseason anyhow.

The Texans have a fair shot. It's too early to be pessimistic. This is a good team... give them a chance! They may have a surprise or two left!

Prior to the first Indy game I posted the Colts would not beat Texans but Houston could beat itself. IMO that is what happened. I stated that psychologically it would be better to lose that one, beat Titans and then whip Colts in "our house". It is lining up that way. I had predicted then we win out. For everyone that can defend a loss, I can defend a win. Yes, the Colts had 3 defensive players out, but we had OD, Pitts and Briesel out on offense. Our pro bowl WR still recovering from spitting blood. Cushing was still having foot problems and we know how that effected Mario in the past. Williams has shoulder issue that we will hear more about after season over. Our guys played the Colts pretty darn well and it would have been real interesting in OT. Their O was not moving against our D but we were moving and scoring against them. What happens when a "hero" can't quite come through for you? Manning could not get it done against the Pats. N.E. beat themselves just like we did. Peyton just pulled the trigger when the coach handed him a loaded gun. Their team and fans are use to these "miracle" wins. Well if we don't hand them the game and solidly kick their butt in the small things like tackling, blocking and being the the correct spot, they CAN'T beat us.

Add to rested players our history of doing very well last half of season. Here is where Kubes and our player leaders step up. No more off sides on our very first play. No more 15 yard penalties hitting late; our players are maturing and will bring the fire.

12-4 and I don't give a damn if that gets us in the playoffs or not. This team is set to become the elephant in the room. You can ignore it but you better hide away your mommies crystal cause we are fixing to do some damage.

All of those teams are playing really good ball right now, and we'll be in a really bad shape at this point, cause it looks like that we'll need to be 10-6/11-5 to even think about playoffs.. The only two I really feel are easy games for us are the Rams and the Seahawks..